NdhO,a Subunit of NADPH Dehydrogenase,Destabilizes Medium Size Complex of the Enzyme in Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803

Two mutants that grew faster than the wild-type (WT) strain under high light conditions were isolated from Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 transformed with a transposon-bearing library. Both mutants had a tag in ssl1690 encoding NdhO. Deletion of ndhO increased the activity of NADPH dehydrogenase (NDH-1)-dependent cyclic electron transport around photosystem I (NDH-CET), while overexpression decreased the activity. Although deletion and overexpression of ndhO did not have significant effects on the amount of other subunits such as NdhH, NdhI, NdhK, and NdhM in the cells, the amount of these subunits in the medium size NDH-1 (NDH-1M) complex was higher in the ndhO-deletion mutant and much lower in the overexpression strain than in the WT. NdhO strongly interacts with NdhI and NdhK but not with other subunits. NdhI interacts with NdhK and the interaction was blocked by NdhO. The blocking may destabilize the NDH-1M complex and repress the NDH-CET activity. When cells were transferred from growth light to high light, the amounts of NdhI and NdhK increased without significant change in the amount of NdhO, thus decreasing the relative amount of NdhO. This might have decreased the blocking, thereby stabilizing the NDH-1M complex and increasing the NDH-CET activity under high light conditions.     

灵芝液态发酵胞内外多糖结构特征及其活性研究进展

灵芝是一味传统的中药材,具有很高的药用价值,多糖是其主要的活性成分之一,可从其子实体、孢子粉、发酵菌丝体和胞外液中获得。近年来,从灵芝菌丝体和胞外液中发现的多糖越来越得到研究者们的关注。本文从发酵培养基成分及发酵条件对灵芝胞内外多糖的影响、灵芝胞内外多糖的结构、灵芝胞内外多糖生物活性3个方面进行综述,为发酵来源灵芝多糖的开发利用提供科学理论依据。     

pH对灵芝液态发酵代谢物及抗氧化活性的影响

已有研究报道灵芝栽培生长的最适pH在中性偏酸环境,在碱性范围的生长及代谢情况鲜见报道。本研究主要探究广泛pH对灵芝液态发酵代谢物及其抗氧化活性的影响。采用摇瓶液态培养后分析代谢物中灵芝三萜、胞内外多糖、菌丝体蛋白及抗氧化活性等指标,系统比较灵芝菌丝体在pH值2-11的生长和代谢情况。研究结果表明,灵芝菌丝体生长、合成灵芝三萜、胞内多糖、30E胞外多糖、菌丝体蛋白和菌丝体水解氨基酸的最适pH值分别为10、3、2、7、2和2。对应结果分别为17.13 g/L、33.86 mg/g、72.73 mg/g、7.86 g/L、71.42 mg/g和107.10 mg/g。比对照分别提高28.5%、77.3%、22.4%、96.5%、97.1%和70.8%。胞内多糖组分1和组分2最高分子量均在初始pH 4,分别为1.016×10⁸ g/mol和9.280×10⁴ g/mol,胞外多糖组分1最高分子量在初始pH 10,为4.946×10⁶ g/mol;对菌丝体的总抗氧化能力、1,1-二苯基-2-三硝基苯肼(1,1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl,DPPH)自由基清除能力、羟自由基清除能力分析结果表明最佳的初始pH分别为3、7、9。本研究为液态发酵方式下灵芝生长及其代谢物定向调控发酵的工艺优化提供参考依据,同时发现灵芝菌丝体中优质蛋白及抗氧化活性可在功能性食品和化妆品领域推广应用。     

Suppressing Voltage Fading of Li‐Rich Oxide Cathode via Building a Well‐Protected and Partially‐Protonated Surface by Polyacrylic Acid Binder for Cycle‐Stable Li‐Ion Batteries

Li‐rich manganese based oxides (LRMOs) are considered an attractive high‐capacity cathode for advanced Li‐ion batteries; however, their poor cyclability and gradual voltage fading have hindered their practical applications. Herein, an efficient and facile strategy is proposed to stabilize the lattice structure of LRMOs by surface modification of polyacrylic acid (PAA). The PAA‐coated LRMO electrode exhibits only 104 mV of the voltage fading after 100 cycles and 88% capacity retention over 500 cycles. The structural stability is attributed to the carboxyl groups in PAA chains reacting with oxygen species on the surface of LRMO to form a uniform and tightly coated film, which significantly suppresses the dissolution of transition metal elements from the cathode materials into the electrolyte. Importantly, a H⁺/Li⁺ exchange reaction takes place between the LRMO and PAA, generating a proton‐doped surface layer. Density functional theory calculations and experimental evidence demonstrates that the H⁺ ions in the surface lattice efficiently inhibit the migration of transition metal ions, leading to a stabilized lattice structure. This surface modification approach may provide a new route to building a stable Li‐rich oxide cathode with high capacity retention and low voltage fading for practical Li‐ion battery applications.     

The Preparation and Performance of a New Polyurethane Vascular Prosthesis

We investigated the performance of small-caliber polyurethane (PU) small-diameter vascular prosthesis generated using the electrospinning technique. PU was electrospun into small-diameter, small-caliber tubular scaffolds for potential application as vascular grafts. We investigated the effects of electrospinning conditions (solution concentration, mandrel rotation speed) on the microstructure and porosity of the scaffolds for the purpose of preparing scaffolds with optimum microstructures and properties. We evaluated the mechanical properties of the scaffolds by tensile tests and the cytotoxicity of the PU small-diameter, small-caliber PU synthetic vascular graft by the MTT assay. The adhesion of endothelial cells to the PU scaffold was characterized by Hoechst staining and fluorescence microscopy, and we measured endothelial cell proliferation on the PU scaffold by the CCK-8 assay. We analyzed the prosthesis microstructure and endothelial cell morphology using scanning electron microscopy. With increasing PU concentration in the electrospinning solution, the fiber diameter of the vascular graft increased and the porosity decreased. In addition, with increasing electrospinning time, the wall thickness increased and the porosity decreased. We found that regular fiber orientation can be obtained by adjusting the rotation speed of the mandrel. Cell proliferation was not inhibited as the small-caliber PU synthetic vascular grafts showed little cytotoxicity. The endothelial cells had faster adherence to the PU scaffolds than to the PTFE surface during the initial contact. After prolonged cell culture, significantly higher endothelial cell proliferation rate was observed in the PU scaffold groups than the PTFE group. We obtained small-caliber PU vascular grafts with optimal fiber arrangement, excellent mechanical properties, and optimal biocompatibility by optimizing the electrospinning conditions. This study provides in vitro biocompatibility data that is helpful for the clinical application of the PU small-diameter, small-caliber PU vascular grafts.     

Dabrafenib; Preclinical Characterization,Increased Efficacy when Combined with Trametinib,while BRAF/MEK Tool Combination Reduced Skin Lesions

Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) pathway activation has been implicated in many types of human cancer. BRAF mutations that constitutively activate MAPK signalling and bypass the need for upstream stimuli occur with high prevalence in melanoma, colorectal carcinoma, ovarian cancer, papillary thyroid carcinoma, and cholangiocarcinoma. In this report we characterize the novel, potent, and selective BRAF inhibitor, dabrafenib (GSK2118436). Cellular inhibition of BRAF^V600E kinase activity by dabrafenib resulted in decreased MEK and ERK phosphorylation and inhibition of cell proliferation through an initial G₁ cell cycle arrest, followed by cell death. In a BRAF^V600E-containing xenograft model of human melanoma, orally administered dabrafenib inhibited ERK activation, downregulated Ki67, and upregulated p27, leading to tumor growth inhibition. However, as reported for other BRAF inhibitors, dabrafenib also induced MAPK pathway activation in wild-type BRAF cells through CRAF (RAF1) signalling, potentially explaining the squamous cell carcinomas and keratoacanthomas arising in patients treated with BRAF inhibitors. In addressing this issue, we showed that concomitant administration of BRAF and MEK inhibitors abrogated paradoxical BRAF inhibitor-induced MAPK signalling in cells, reduced the occurrence of skin lesions in rats, and enhanced the inhibition of human tumor xenograft growth in mouse models. Taken together, our findings offer preclinical proof of concept for dabrafenib as a specific and highly efficacious BRAF inhibitor and provide evidence for its potential clinical benefits when used in combination with a MEK inhibitor.     

Association of genetic polymorphisms in ADH and ALDH2 with risk of coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction: A meta-analysis

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) are the major enzymes responsible for alcohol metabolism in humans. Emerging evidences have shown that functional polymorphisms in ADH and ALDH genes might play a critical role in increasing coronary artery disease (CAD) and myocardial infarction (MI) risks; however, individually published studies showed inconclusive results. The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the associations between the genetic polymorphisms of ADH and ALDH genes with susceptibility to CAD and MI. A literature search was conducted on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Chinese BioMedical databases from inception through December 1st, 2012. Crude relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Twelve case–control studies were included with a total of 9616 subjects, including 2053 CAD patients, 1436 MI patients, and 6127 healthy controls. Meta-analysis showed that mutant genotypes (GA + AA) of the rs671 polymorphism in the ALDH2 gene were associated with increased risk of both CAD and MI (CAD: RR = 1.20, 95%CI: 1.03–1.40, P = 0.021; MI: RR = 1.32, 95%CI: 1.11–1.57, P = 0.002). However, there were no significant associations of ADH genetic polymorphisms to CAD and MI risks (CAD: RR = 0.92, 95%CI: 0.73–1.15, P = 0.445; MI: RR = 0.93, 95%CI: 0.84–1.03, P = 0.148). In conclusion, this meta-analysis provides strong evidence that ALDH2 rs671 polymorphism may be associated with increased risks of CAD and MI. However, further studies are still needed to accurately determine whether ADH genetic polymorphisms are associated with susceptibility to CAD and MI.     

miR-181a–Twist1 pathway in the chemoresistance of tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Although many researches have been undertaken to disclose the mechanisms of chemoresistance, the mechanisms remain unclear. The aim of this study is to elucidate the role of miR-181a–Twist1 pathway in the chemoresistance of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). We found that cisplatin-induced chemoresistance in TSCC cell lines underwent EMT (epithelial–mesenchymal transition) and was accompanied by enhancing metastatic potential (migration and invasion in vitro), miR-181a downregulation and Twist1 upregulation. Functional analyses indicated that miR-181a reversed chemoresistance, inhibited EMT and metastatic potential in TSCC cells. Twist1 was confirmed as a direct miR-181a target gene by luciferase reporter gene assays. Twist1 knockdown by siRNA led to a reversal of the chemoresistance, inhibited EMT and metastatic potential in TSCC cells. Our study demonstrates that miR-181a–Twist1 pathway may play an important role in the development of cisplatin-chemoresistance, with EMT and an increase the metastatic potential of TSCC cells.     

Identification of a cyanobacterial CRR6 protein,Slr1097, required for efficient assembly of NDH‐1 complexes in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Despite significant progress in clarifying the subunit compositions and functions of the multiple NADPH dehydrogenase (NDH‐1) complexes in cyanobacteria, the subunit maturation and assembly of their NDH‐1 complexes are poorly understood. By transformation of wild‐type cells with a transposon‐tagged library, we isolated three mutants of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 defective in NDH‐1‐mediated cyclic electron transfer and unable to grow under high light conditions. All the mutants were tagged in the same slr1097 gene, encoding an unknown protein that shares significant homology with the Arabidopsis protein chlororespiratory reduction 6 (CRR6). The slr1097 product was localized in the cytoplasm and was required for efficient assembly of NDH‐1 complexes. Analysis of the interaction of Slr1097 with 18 subunits of NDH‐1 complexes using a yeast two‐hybrid system indicated a strong interaction with NdhI but not with other Ndh subunits. Absence of Slr1097 resulted in a significant decrease of NdhI in the cytoplasm, but not of other Ndh subunits including NdhH, NdhK and NdhM; the decrease was more evident in the cytoplasm than in the thylakoid membranes. In the ?slr1097 mutant, NdhH, NdhI, NdhK and NdhM were hardly detectable in the NDH‐1M complex, whereas almost half the wild‐type levels of these subunits were present in NDH‐1L complex; similar results were observed in the NdhI‐less mutant. These results suggest that Slr1097 is involved in the maturation of NdhI, and that assembly of the NDH‐1M complex is strongly dependent on this factor. Maturation of NdhI appears not to be crucial to assembly of the NDH‐1L complex.